Forte Piano

by Teresa Jennings

Text is taken from Music K-8 magazine.

Sometimes we get requests to write songs that teach musical concepts. So we did. We figured that a song teaching loud (forte) and soft (piano) would be a good addition to such a repertoire. To emphasize and reinforce the meaning of each word, the students sing them in the appropriate dynamic, complete with accents or slurs as the mood dictates. (Our singers especially got a kick out of the "big crescendo.") For a little extra help, the orchestra on the recording also plays each section in the appropriate dynamic. Let singers overdo the dynamic contrast comically to really make it fun and drive the point home. Add body language for extra emphasis as well. For example, put hands on hips for the forte sections, shrug shoulders and fold hands lightly for the piano sections.